South Downs Council approves 93.2% of planning applications, based on 10,988 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. South Downs sits 4.6 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,068 decided applications, South Downs Council approved 94.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 10,988 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in South Downs is 93.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of South Downs council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in South Downs.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,166 | 407 | 4,573 | 91.1% |
| Trees | 2,065 | 15 | 2,080 | 99.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,773 | 77 | 1,850 | 95.8% |
| Listed Building | 985 | 45 | 1,030 | 95.6% |
| Other | 473 | 50 | 523 | 90.4% |
| Prior Approval | 409 | 54 | 463 | 88.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 301 | 83 | 384 | 78.4% |
| Advertisement | 74 | 11 | 85 | 87.1% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Meon Valley | 597 | 8 | 605 | 98.7% |
| Fittleworth Ward CH | 474 | 40 | 514 | 92.2% |
| Fernhurst Ward CH | 453 | 58 | 511 | 88.6% |
| Lewes Priory | 422 | 41 | 463 | 91.1% |
| Harting Ward CH | 416 | 26 | 442 | 94.1% |
| Midhurst Ward CH | 393 | 31 | 424 | 92.7% |
| Liss | 359 | 19 | 378 | 95.0% |
| Central Meon Valley | 351 | 9 | 360 | 97.5% |
| Binsted, Bentley & Selborne | 339 | 21 | 360 | 94.2% |
| Petworth Ward CH | 289 | 36 | 325 | 88.9% |
| Easebourne Ward CH | 292 | 29 | 321 | 91.0% |
| Lewes Castle | 288 | 31 | 319 | 90.3% |
| Petersfield St Peter's | 302 | 17 | 319 | 94.7% |
| Ditchling And Westmeston | 295 | 21 | 316 | 93.4% |
| Lewes Bridge | 277 | 32 | 309 | 89.6% |
| Lavant Ward CH | 261 | 31 | 292 | 89.4% |
| Alresford & Itchen Valley | 283 | 3 | 286 | 99.0% |
| Buriton & East Meon | 264 | 19 | 283 | 93.3% |
| Kingston | 247 | 31 | 278 | 88.8% |
| Froxfield, Sheet & Steep | 252 | 20 | 272 | 92.6% |
| East Dean | 244 | 14 | 258 | 94.6% |
| Colden Common And Twyford | 219 | 6 | 225 | 97.3% |
| Pulborough, Coldwatham and Amberley | 175 | 8 | 183 | 95.6% |
| Goodwood Ward CH | 159 | 14 | 173 | 91.9% |
| Arundel | 158 | 10 | 168 | 94.0% |
Showing top 25 of 73 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How South Downs’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.8pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from South Downs council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| SDNP/26/02319/TCA Buriton & East Meon | There are three dead elm trees on the boundary of Chatsworth and Bones lane.We w | Approved |
| SDNP/26/01950/HOUS Lewes Priory | Remove, replace and raise parapet boe coping wall, repoint boundary wall and fen | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02743/TCA Lewes Priory | T7 - Beech - crown lift by 2.5 metres and shape sides by up to 2.5 metres, reduc | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02457/PA14J Fernhurst Ward CH | Prior approval - the installation or alteration of solar equipment on the roof s | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02389/FUL Kingston | Change of use from a single existing dwelling to form two separate self-containe | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02360/HOUS Harting Ward CH | Demolition of existing garage and erection of proposed single storey side and re | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02254/FUL Alresford & Itchen Valley | Demolition of existing dwelling and outbuilding, construction of replacement dwe | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02161/FUL Petworth Ward CH | Replacement dwelling with associated landscape improvements. | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02145/LIS Lavant Ward CH | Removal of modern conservatory, replacement single-storey extension and minor in | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02144/HOUS Lavant Ward CH | Removal of modern conservatory and replacement single-storey extension. | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on South Downs's 10,988 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare South Downs's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into South Downs's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for South Downs. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 10,988 real decisions from South Downs council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on South Downs's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 10,988 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in South Downs is 93.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,988 planning decisions from South Downs council. 10,246 were approved and 742 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in South Downs is 93.2%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in South Downs? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.